Improvement in steam and water supply and pressure



J. '0. HAGAN. STEAM AND WATER SUPPLY AND PRESSURE REGULATOR;

No. 108,905. Patented Nov'. 1, 1870.

m: NORRIS PETERS no. mioYoLlTHOZ. \VASHNGYON, o. c,

.i' NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. HAGAN, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM AND WATER SUPPLY AND PRES SU'R REGULATORS.

Speeijicationforming part of Letters Patent No. 108,905, dated November 1, 1870 To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, JOHN G. HAGAN, of Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Pressure and Supply Regulator for Water and Steam Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists First, in a device whereby the pressureof water or steam to be governed is applied to a piston or its equivalent, communicating indirectly with the safety or regulating valve, so as toeither open or close the said valve under increase of pressure, accordingly as the purpose for which the apparatus is con ucted may render desirable.

Second, in a device whereby increasedpressure in hydraulic pipes is sustained, when re quired, by the application of increased weight to the lever through or by which the regulating-valve is controlled.

Third, in combination with a pump or pumps employed to supply a city with water, and with a system of regulating-valves, an electromagnetic connection, whereby the force of the pumping-engines can be instantaneously increased by an operator at any part of the town or city to which the water-pipes may extend. The pumps may thus be madeto work under moderate pressure for the ordinary water-supply, and on the breaking out of a fire at any point the water may be immediately forced through the pipes with sufficient head to project it over or upon a burning building, and

' extinguish the fire without the aid of portable engines.

Fourth, in cases where the pumps are driven by water-power, my invention is also used to regulate the supply of water to one or more water-wheels, proportionately either to the force of the head or to the pressure required in the pipes, as hereinafter explained.

That the nature and operation of my invention may be clearly understood, I will describe an application of it to hydraulic apparatus. .From this description the adaptation of certain parts of the invention to steamenginery will be clearly apparent.

Figure l is in part a side elevation and in part a longitudinal section of awater-supply apparatus illustrating-my invention. Fig.2

is a diagram illustrating a modification in the valve-connection hereinafter described. Fig. 3 is a section illustrating a modified form of valve which may be used with my invention.

A may represent the steaincylinder of a steam-pump of common form '5 I}, the steamsuppiy pipe thereof, and G a throttle-valve in said pipe. 1) represents a water-main, through which water is forced by the said steam-pump.

From the 'main '1) rises a pipe, E, communicating with the lower part of a cylinder, F, which cylinder may be either open or closed at top, and is provided with a piston, G, the rod, of which communicates with the rod 0 of the throttle-valve 0, through the medium of the diminishing-gearH I J, or in any other mechanically equivalent manner which will,

produce alike result, the object being to regulate the opening of the valve proportionately to the pressure in the pipes, except when increased pressure is required for any purpose, as will be presently explained.

The engine A may also be provided with a hand-throttle, as shown at K, for use whenrequired.

L is a-lever employed to hold down the piston G, and carrying a weight, M, which is made hollow, so that it may be tilled with water to increase its effect upon the lever L when required.

Water is forced up into the hollow weight M' through pipes N O. guarded by a valve or cock, P, of any suitable form, which may be opened either by a hand-lever, Q, or by an electro-magnet, B, froiu which conductingwires S may lead to any number of stations throughout the city.

For the purposes of the valve P, I prefer to employ the form of valve shown in Fig. 3. This is asolid conical valve, workingin acham-- her, which permits an equal pressure on both sides of the valve to balance it.

T, in Figs. 1 and 3, may represent the armature of an elecLro-magnet.

The pipe 0 is made flexible, to permit the adjustment of the weight M upon the lever. The pipes E and 0 may further be provided with cocks e and o, to be opened or closed by hand.

U represents agage to indicate the quantity or weight of water within thehollow weight M. It will be apparent-that the devicerepresented in Fig; 1, consisting of the cylinder F, piston G, valve (3, and connections H I J, constitutes an effective governor to be applied to steam-engines, the pressure of steam beneath the piston G, counteracted by an aircnshion or by aispring, in any customary man per, serving to regulate the extent of opening of the valve 0.

For a steam safety-valve attachment, the connection would be as illustrated in Fig. 2, or in some equivalent manner, so that the elevation of the piston G by increased pressure of steam would open the valve 0 to discharge steam.

Operation The various parts being in the positions shown in Fig. 1, any increase of pressure within the mainD will raise the piston G and close the valve 0 until an equilibrium is restored. When it is desired to maintain a higher pressure within the pipes,

this may be done to any necessary extent by introducing watcrintothe weight M by open ing the valve P, either by means of the hand lever Q or by the electro'magnet R, which may be'operated from distant points,'as explained or it may be soconnected with the fire-alarm telegraph that whenever an alarm of fire is given, the pressure in the pipes will be immediately increased automatically.

When the normal condition of the parts is to be restored, the water may beallowed to escape from the weight M through a faucet, m or, if the pipe 0 be' connected where the faucet m is represented, at the lowest part of the weight, the water may flow out by the same pipe through which it enters.

The valve P may, by a simple connection be opened automatically whenever a great increase of discharge from the service-pipes from the opening of one or more fire-plugs may indicate thatincreased pressure is needed. The connection may be made from. the pistonlever'to the valve P through the medium of a bell-crank or a wedge.

The first effect of opening a plug or plugs will be to reduce the pressure in the pipeD. The piston G- and lever L immediately descend, causing the lever to depress the horizontal arm of a bellcrank, to which it may be permanently connected, or which it may strike after descending a certain distance, thus imparting a horizontal-movement to the vertical arm of the bell-crank, which may be connected to the valve Pto open it. The ball then will be immediately filled with water, and will load the pistonG until the water is discharged from the ball by hand. A similar eii'ect may be produced by means of a wedge attached to a rod to be forced down by thedepression of the lever.

The piston G and valve 0, and their intermediate connections, are applicable, for the purposes of .a steam-governor, in the manner above described, excepting only that the piston G rests on steam from the boiler, the press ore of said steam being counteracted either by the elasticity of air confined within the upper part of the cylinder, or by a metallic spring of any common and suitable form or, instead of applying steam'pressure to the piston, a pump,V, ofany suitable construction, maybe so connected with the engine that on any increase of motion of the latter a largcrquantity of water will be forced into the cylinder F, so as to elevate the piston G.

a The capacity of the dischargepipe E will he graduated to equalize the ordinary action of the pump V, so as to maintain an equilibrium under such ordinary action, and to permit the fall of the piston when the engine is retarded.

For a steam safety-valve, the valve 0 will be adapted to permit the escape and discharge of steam, as before stated.

For the purposes either of a governor or a safety-valve attachment, my invention is especially valuable in connection with marine engines. A governor constructed as described is free from all the objections attaching to governors working by gravitation or centrifugal force.

As a safety-valve, the pressure-piston G and lever L may be located in the engine-room or in the pilot-house or cabin, and may communicate with a steam-valve so located as to discharge steam under the water or at any con' venient distance.

For the purpose of regulating the supply of water to water-wheels for any purpose, the cylinder F is so connected with the pen-stock, or other container from which the water flows onto the wheels, that the water will rise within said cylinder in proportion to the head of water by which the wheels are driven. The rising or falling of the piston G will thus act to close or open the gates through which water is supplied to the wheel or wheels, or to open a larger or smaller number of gates, so that a single wheel may bemade to pump water for ordinary consumption, but on the breaking out of a fire any necessary number of wheels may be brought into action.

For many purposes, my regulator L M N 0 P may be used without the cylinder and piston F G, a spring being employed to resist ordinary pressure on the rod 9, and the weight being increased to open the supply-valve when required; or a common safety-valve, instead of the cylinder and piston F G, may be used in connection with my said regulator.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The piston G, working in a cylinder, F, and regulating a valve, 0, through the me dium of suitable connections, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The hollow weight M,incombination with the lever L, and with a pipe, 0, through which the said weight may be supplied with water toincrease its eifect, as required.

3. The electromagnetic connection It S, op-

erating the regulator from distant points, sub- I 6. The combination, with the watenmain D, stantially as specified. of the pipes N 0, valve P, hollow weight M,

4. The balanced "alve P, Fig. 3, constructed and a regulating-valve of any suitable form, and operating in the manner and for the purto admit of maintaining increased pressure in f p'ose stated. the pipes when required.

5. The combination, with the water-main I D and a suitable pump or pumps, A,,of the JOHN pipe E, cylinder F, piston G, and valve 0, to Witnesses:

automatically regulate the pressure in said OGTAVIUS KNIGHT, main D, substantially as described. v H, C. ELLIOTT. 

